A chilling transmission
by FlyingWolf29
Summary: For tumblr's whump exchange 2018. The prompt was, Character A (in this story, Leopold "Leo" Fitz) is tortured in front of his team. My plot: Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Ward wants something the team just found, badly, and he's not above damaging our dear engineer to twist their hand into giving it to him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So this story was prompted by the lovely _the-whumpy-fangirl_ on tumblr as part of the Whump Exchange 2018! I had only planned to do a one-shot but, well, the plot bunny just ran off and when I finally caught up to him it was already too late... I'm already working on the second part so it should be up within the next few days.**

 **This is my first time writing for this fandom and I've only watched the first season, so any mistake regarding the characters, storyline or anything else is totally mine. This is unbeta'd work so if you find anything I've missed in my reviewing of this chapter feel free to throw me a rock with a message on it (I gotta warn you though, my Blocking level is crazy high on Skyrim)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The room is dark, humid and cold. Flashes of light partly illuminate the room's occupant's face as the shattered light bulb hanging from the ceiling sporadically sparks to life. Blood pearls on the scattered shards of glass littering the floor under it, adding a metallic touch to the foul stench of the room. Smells of fear and pain interlace with the horrors witnessed by the frosted mold on the walls.

A groan, then a rustling sound, signals the sole occupant's return to consciousness. The blinking red light finds its target as the wall-mounted camera slowly turns towards the now sprawled man.

On the receiving end of the camera's signal, Agent Phil Coulson and his team stare at the monitor, unable to tear their gaze from their friend and colleague as he struggles to his hands and knees. Suddenly the screen whites out and a loud and high-pitched noise echoes around the room, causing them to flinch, gasp and wince at the shock of the sudden occurrence, but also in sympathy for their suffering friend. The young man on the screen can now be seen with his forehead to the ground, hands clasped over his ears to try and muffle the deafening noise.

His mouth keeps opening and closing as his shouts of "Stop! Please... STOP!" can barely be heard over the din.

As suddenly as it all began, the racket stops, and the lights, which can now be seen to come from built-in niches in the ceiling, dim down to a bearable level.

Both the young man in the room and his spectators sigh in relief, short-lived as it is, as the brief reprieve is terminated by the opening of the room's iron door, opposite of the camera.

A tall, handsome, dark-haired man walks in, taking a few measured steps before stopping, the door closing behind him.

The man lets out puff of air, a small cloud showing briefly as his breath condenses in the cold air of the room.

"Seriously, Leo - I can call you Leo, right? We're friends after all, aren't we?" the man pauses, smirking, before continuing.

"It would be so much easier on the both of us if you would simply cooperate."

Tilting his head to the side, he studies the captive man for a moment, then says.

"I know you're smart enough that you don't need me to repeat everything I already explained on the way here but... let's say this is for the sake of our spectators, shall we?" his gaze lands on the camera as it focuses on him.

"This is quite simple" he explains. "I know you S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have recently found yourselves the happy owners of multiple fragments of the Eye of Avalon. Four out of the six, if my Intel is correct." Pausing for effect, he adds with another smirk. "Here are our terms, they are quite simple but I'll spell them out slowly so nobody gets confused, alright?"

" You deliver the four pieces of the artefact and we shall send our friend here on his merry way back to you. This way, Hydra can take this troublesome artefact out of your hands and you don't need to worry about it's dangerous effects ever again. Simple, isn't it?"

"Why are you doing this Ward... I thought... after the Overkill mission..."

"You thought what, that we were best friends or something?" the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent jeers.

"Grant Douglas Ward... I never thought you would use such underhanded methods to achieve your goal... here I was, thinking you were a good man, but you're still only a liar and a traitor, aren't you? We'll never give you this weapon, you hear me, NEVER!" Leo Fitz spits out, glaring up at his former colleague and friend from his kneeling position.

"SHUT UP!" Ward lashes out, striking the engineer across the face, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt. Rubbing his hand to get rid of the sting from the hit, Grant sighs at his captive.

"Look at what you made me do now... I didn't want you to get hurt Fitz... If only you would cooperate..." Shaking his head sadly, the Hydra agent takes a couple more steps across the room.

Holding his face, the smaller man shakily pushes himself back to his knees, a slight trickle of blood trailing down his chin.

Getting closer, Ward grabs Fitz by the front of his dark jacket, roughly pulling him closer.

"News flash, genius. I've been Hydra from the beginning, you were fooled like the rest of them." he grins, teeth flashing briefly.

"Now, let's see which side of the lens needs the most motivation before someone finally starts doing what they were asked to do!" His tone rising as he finishes his sentences, the HYDRA agent tightens his hold on Fitz's clothes before violently lifting him up. Turning on his heels, he slams the younger man into the wall across from the camera head first, stunning him.

Shifting his grip so that he holds the scientist to the wall by the throat, fingers cradling the younger man's jaw, Ward adds "Maybe I'll need to change my method..." Turning Leo's head from one side to the other and inspecting his face, the Hydra agent looks at the sluggishly bleeding gash on his face before continuing.

"Yeah... he's not much of a bleeder, so I guess we'll have to try something else!" he finishes cheerfully, squeezing his hand tightly, eliciting a slightly strangled gasp from his prisoner before suddenly letting go.

Having not expected this, Fitz's legs are not fast enough to support him, and he ends up sitting on the floor, back against the wall, knees bent. Still stunned, he barely has time to raise his arms to protect his head as the door next to him is opened, swinging his way. A pained grunt escapes him as the door heavily slams into him, and as it shuts behind Ward, his crumpled form is revealed, slumped to the side.

Miles away, standing in the communication section of the Bus, Coulson's lips are thin, clenched fists crossed over his chest the only outward sign of his inner turmoil. Jemma gasps at the sight of her friend's state and turns into Skye's embrace as the other woman grabs her into a fierce hug.

Composing herself, Agent May straightens her shoulders and takes a deep breath before turning towards Coulson.

"Phil... We need to take this to Fury. We-"

"NO!" Jemma interrupts, extricating herself from her friend's hold, eyes shining with unshed tears. "What we need to do is figure out how to find Fitz!"

"Maybe we can, I don't know, track the camera's signal. I - gosh I need Fitz for that." She lets out another gasp, hand rising to her mouth, before forming a fist as she continues pacing. "I need to, WE have to TRY! We can't just give up on him!"

"Simmons." At May's soft but stern uttering of her name, the biochemist startles to a stop, sucking in a hitched breath.

"We WILL find him. But we also need to warn Director Fury about a possible mole, since Hydra knows we found parts of the Evil Eye of Avalon. Also, we will tell the Director about Fitz's abduction and this way more agents can focus on finding his location. Understood?"

Tilting her head to the side, May calmly waits for the distraught woman to shakily nod her understanding before turning back to Coulson.

"We can NOT let Hydra get their hands on this artefact, Coulson. Its power is unbelievable."

Turning towards the other team members, she continues.

"If you remember from the briefing we had last week when we found the shards, the Evil Eye of Avalon enables its user to manipulate matter at the molecular level. It can also disintegrate it, create or destroy force fields and a couple of other destructive uses ( **A/N:** **see note at the end of this chapter** ). We simply cannot allow it to fall into enemy hands again."

Nodding in understanding, they exchange grim looks. Coulson nods his thanks to May, before taking charge once more.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work. I'll contact the Director and inform him of the situation. Skye, make sure the pieces of the artefact are still safely under lock and key. Once that's done, see in the security feed who else but this team has been able to access the information regarding the retrieval of the Eye of Avalon. May, make sure the Bus is ready to go as soon as we get Fitz's location."

Turning towards the last member of his team, he smiles at her, gaze softening, before continuing. "Jemma, you've been working alongside Fitz for a long time. I know you've managed to pick up some things along the way and I know for sure that you can find your way around computers. I need you to see if you can track the signal that is being sent to us."

His orders dispatched, he looks at the still-shaken but now determined faces of his teammates, before turning on his heels to head for the secured connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ from his office. As he passes the doorway, he throws one last remark over his shoulder.

"We WILL find our missing friend. Ward will NOT be getting away with this!"

* * *

In an unknown location. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Grant Ward just walked into a large room filled with cases of equipment, weapons, food packets and multiple other items. A single man is sitting there, conducting an inventory, and he turns at Ward's entrance.

"Sir, if I may." He pauses, waiting until Ward's attention is on him. "I think we should notify Hydra HQ of our situation. "

"Of course." Ward scoffs. "But I want to bring them the whole weapon first. Imagine the promotions we will both get once we deliver the prized Evil Eye of Avalon to Hydra! This will finally prove my loyalty to them. I still can't believe they think me responsible for Garret's death! He was clearly in over his head once he started being influenced by the GH.325 drug!"

"Our little Leo might finally accept to make the detector for the Eye of Avalon's missing pieces. I'll just need to show him what his friends will go through if I get my hands on them..." He finishes ominously, grinning at his associate. The blond man smiles back, nodding once, before enquiring. "Shall we get our guest ready for phase 2, then?"

"Exactly what I was thinking, Marvin. Come with me."

Grabbing a chair, he waits until his accomplice grabs an already prepared case before heading back out of the room.

Sarcastically knocking on the door, he opens it, his steps faltering as he notices the absence of his captive from the room. Walking further in, his fellow Hydra agent on his heels, he drops the chair then slowly turns back towards the door, before stopping. Cocking his head to the side, his mouth forms a slightly surprised "Oh" at the extended leg peeking out from behind the still open door.

"Well, would you look at that, someone's playing hide and seek!" Reaching out to close the door, he swings it closed, hoping to surprise his hiding prisoner. At the lack of reaction from the sprawled man, his mouth turns down in disappointment.

Crouching down, Ward studies the unconscious Fitz, noticing the slightly bleeding and bruised hand. Reaching out, he grabs him by the left shoulder and shakes the man, trying to rouse him.

Stiffening at the touch, mouth twisting in a grimace from the pain, Fitz lets out a grunt before blinking open his eyes. Focusing on the man still crouched in front of him, his brow drops in a slight glare.

Eyebrows rising slightly, Ward lets a small smile show on his face at the now awake engineer's reaction.

"Oooh, did you finally grow some backbone while I was gone? Nice to see you're actually able to show your temper."

"Shut up, Ward." Fitz lets out another pained groan at the pressure on his injured shoulder as his former teammate tightens his hold before letting go and standing back up.

Gesturing to his still silent companion standing behind him, Ward starts towards the middle of the room where he deposited the chair.

"Let's get him sitting here so we can begin, alright?"

Having heard voices coming out of the monitor to her right, Jemma Simmons stops her currently failing attempts at tracking the signal being sent to them to look at the two men that just entered the room.

As the tall blond man deposits the case he was holding to grab at her now-awake partner, the young woman gets up and hurriedly makes her way to Coulson's office. He meets her halfway there, having successfully appraised S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters of the situation. At the sight of her wide and scared eyes, he messages May and Skye to join with them as they make their way back towards the communication hub of the plane.

They meet in the room just as Ward starts talking again, his associate having opened the case. Fitz is now sitting on the chair that was brought in and is clearly nervous of the case's content, but as the lid is facing them, they are unable to know what is hidden inside.

With a snap of Ward's fingers, Simmons and Fitz's attention are brought back to the dark-haired man.

"So, what is your answer, Fitz? I'm sure a genius like you can figure something out, don't you agree?"

Eloquently, Fitz answers "What?"

One hand on his hip and the other pinching his nose, Ward sighs, as if dealing with a petulant child. "Are you playing dumb with me? Or did that door hit you harder than it seems? Or maybe you need some motivation?" he adds, his grin becoming even more sinister.

Frowning, eyes darting to the case and back to his captors, Leo takes in a shuddering breath before answering. "I - I told you I-" his voice catches and he gives a slight cough to clear it "- I have no idea, I have never studied the thing. I didn't even know it existed until a week ago."

Scoffing, his other hand also dropping to his hips, Ward turns to his partner. "Alright, more motivation it is, then." With a wave of his hand, he adds "Go ahead, partner. Phase 2 it is."

A smile appears on the previously still face of the blond man. He then crouches down in front of the case, rummaging into it. Standing up, holding the stick-like tool in one hand, he gleefully taps it into his other hand before turning back towards Fitz. Turning it over in his hands, he presses the power button at one end with his thumb. Leo flinches as electricity arcs between the probes at the other end, gulping.

"Let me ask this again. What do you need to build the detector? We have all the tools you might need but you need to tell us the materials required." the man's gravelly voice echoes in the small room.

"I - I don't know" Fitz squeaks, eyes keeping track of the now inert end of the cattle prod. "I just told you, I haven't studied the pieces we found. I don't know what kind of energy it gives off. I- I would need to study it." He stammers, breaths quickening as Ward's associate gets closer to him. "Oh God, please - please don't."

A smirk is his only answer. His eyes widen then shut in fearful expectation as the prod makes contact with his side. He flinches at the touch, gasping, before going still. Trembling, his eyes slowly open again at the lack of- well, anything actually. He stares in wonder at the inert tool still touching him, before lifting his gaze into the amused eyes of his tormentor.

"Heh." The smirk on his face blooms into a wolfish grin as his thumb activates the tool again.

"GAH!" Unable to stop himself, Leo yelps in pain as the electricity courses through his body for one, two, - he loses count way too quickly, he thinks, as his back arches slightly against the chair. Pain flares in his damaged left hand as it grasps the seat on which he rests, but he is unable to let go. His muscles are not responding to him, taunt as they are with the external signal sent to them by the prod.

Moments later the slight buzzing sound that managed to travel through the monitor's speaker is silenced, and Jemma, her hands covering her mouth and tears freely flowing down her cheeks, lets a sob escape her. It's echoed who knows how many miles away as Fitz sags in his seat, breathing hard. The tip of the weapon retreats as tears of pain streak down his face. His utterly relieved breath is cut short as he feels the already operating prod being jabbed in his thigh and he stiffens again, squeaking in pain once more.

Watching silently for a few moments as the young man twitches with the electricity coursing through him, Ward then orders, his face expressionless "Alright, that's enough. Let him breathe a bit."

Powered down again, the tip of the prod returns to Fitz's tormentor's second hand, tapping a beat only he hears.

"I'm disappointed in you, Fitz. Honestly, in all the time I've spent working with you I could have sworn you would have jumped at the chance to develop new tech." Shaking his head Ward adds "I guess your priorities have changed. I thought you cared more about your precious coworkers than that."

Panting and still trembling from the ordeal, Leo looks up, confused gaze landing on his former teammate.

"What's the matter? I told you, didn't I? If you can't give me what I want and they won't hand the fragments over, I'll just have to get my hands on your precious little Simmons. I'm sure she can be persuaded to find a way to trace the weapon's pieces. She was always the most resourceful of your little duo, after all."

"Simmons? Is that the pretty brunette you've shown me pictures of?" Marvin asks Ward, who nods in answer. A sinister smile blooms on his face and he muses, stroking the cattle prod in his hands "I'd love to hear how she sounds. Wonder what it would take to make her scream."

The anger that was coiling in Fitz's belly unleashes like a striking cobra at the blond man's words. He pushes himself up on still shaky legs, yelling.

"You sick son of a b-" And propels himself off the chair towards the source of his rage, his clenched fist flying to his target's face. Just the thought of his dear friend in danger brings him to a frenzy. He won't let them, he can't!

With a slap on the wrist from the cattle prod, his attack is diverted. Unsteady on his feet, he can't recover in time before a swiftly driven fist buries itself in his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Bending over, Fitz can only gape as he fruitlessly tries to take a breath in, arms automatically cradling his now tender midsection. He feels a hand on his head, but his hair is cut too short for any grip to be effective. A curse sounds above him, and the hand drops to his chin, pushing his head up and smearing the blood still on his face.

"I'll teach you not to insult my mother, you little -" Marvin drops his hand from Fitz's face, then shifts his weight as he lifts a leg up. His right foot lands on Leo's arms and he pushes, hard, hips bucking into the movement. The powerful energy of the kick propels the young engineer backwards and sends him crashing into the chair. The impact sends him sprawling and the chair topples, the noise echoing in the room. Silence then falls, punctuated by the angry pants coming from Marvin, who was stopped in his pursuit to inflict more pain on Fitz by Ward's arm across his chest.

As he lays there, stunned and pain flaring all over his body, Leo's chest shudders back into action and he takes a breath in with a gasp. It escapes him again in a coughing fit that ends in a groan.

"Alright Marvin, I think he got the message. Grab the case and go cool down in the supplies room. I can't have you killing our hostage now, or it will all have been for nothing." At his accomplice's murderous glare towards the prone engineer, Ward pushes him back, hard.

"I said ENOUGH. Get out of here. I won't allow you to ruin this for me."

Seeming to snap out of his blood thirst, Marvin grunts in answer, before grabbing the case from the floor and exiting the room, door slamming into the wall from the force of his angered push. It slams closed, and with one last look at Fitz, Ward follows his associate out, the door clicking shut almost quietly in the wake of the blond man's stormed exit.

"Oh God" sounds in two places simultaneously.

Strained and pained it drifts within the concrete walls as Fitz lays there, wishing for the waves of pain to finally bring him under so that he can, finally, stop feeling all of his body's screaming signals. Right foot twitching in the after effects of the current that ran through him just moments ago, it ignites the pain in his right hip and shoulder blade from where he impacted with the chair. His whine of agony trails off as the dimmed lights in the ceiling turn off, plunging him back into the sporadically interrupted darkness. His body goes limp as his vision goes dark.

Anguished and still wet from tears that have yet to stop flowing, the words also echo in the dead silence of the room filled with monitors and computers on the Bus. Skye tightens her hold on her distressed friend as May and Coulson both lay a comforting hand on Jemma's shoulders.

As soon as it opens to try and reassure the young woman, Phil Coulson's mouth shuts as none other than Director Fury appears on the big screen across from them, his face stern as usual. Seeing him, they all straighten, Simmons furtively trying to wipe her tears away.

"I had to cash in on a favour someone owed me" he begins, "but we managed to track Ward's last location. Apparently the system he uses to transmit the images you are receiving is low-tech enough to not show on usual surveillance channels. But it's also so crudely made that the interference it makes is easy to notice when you know what you're look for."

"We haven't managed to pinpoint his exact location but it gives us an estimated area to search for Agent Fitz." he trails off as he looks up at something off-screen. In an unusual show of emotion, annoyance flares on his face and he snaps.

"Stark, put that down, NOW!" a zap followed by a startled yelp sounds and Fury exasperatedly rolls his eye. Looking back down at them, he adds "I sent you what we have so far. Make your way there and we'll keep working on it in the meantime."

As he walks out of frame, they can clearly hear him muttering about geniuses that should CLEARLY know better.

His image blinks out of existence, rapidly replaced with a map picturing Canada's Labrador, coordinates flashing and a red dot blinking on the North-Eastern's coast, near the Torngat Mountains National Park.

Approaching the map, Agent May studies it a bit, before pointing at an island slightly North of the pointer.

"There is an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. hangar and tarmac on Whale Island, right here. There should still be usable equipment in place for us to send a striking force once Fitz is located."

Coulson nods at her, and she heads off towards the cockpit. Minutes later, the aircraft's engines are spooled up and the plane taxies towards open ground. A slight vibration shakes the frame as the Vertical Take-Off systems are put online, and minutes later they are in the air, heading towards Canada.

* * *

 **Source for the Evil Eye of Avalon description:** .


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience, here is part 2 of this story. Thanks Nindragon for the heads-up regarding the link, here it is again, hopefully I understood how to do it properly this time and it won't get eaten again XD**

 **Source for the Eye of Avalon description: www dot marvunapp dot com / Appendix2 / evileyeavalon dot htm**

* * *

At the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' most desired but still unknown destination, movement detected by the camera has it focusing on the figure still on the ground. First a leg moves, slightly bending at the knee. Then fingers twitch, before the moving hand forms a loose fist. A body-wide shudder extirpates a gasp as the pain makes itself know to the now conscious Fitz.

"Ooooow" he groans. Teeth clenched, he slowly rolls from his side to his belly. The dull ache from both strikes is still present, but he manages to get his knees under him and slowly straightens up, breathing deeply through his nose to prevent the light-headedness from taking him out again. Looking around him, he spies the still overturned chair. His head having cleared, he gingerly stands up, hands on his knees.

Grabbing the chair and dragging it to a spot against the wall, Fitz sits down on it, positioning himself under the camera and out of sight. Letting out a pained huff of breath, he wraps both arms around his aching body to try and warm himself up a bit. Rubbing his left arm with his right, he winces as the damage from the door's strike reminds him of its presence. Glancing down, he notices for the first time the damage that was actually done to him. Fingers gingerly exploring, he takes note of the sharp pains coming from his shoulder and elbow. From the feel of it, the bruise seems to extend from his shoulder to his hand. At this point he can see it. The knuckles of his left hand are bloody and the skin is starting to darken. Leaning his head against the wall behind him, he settles in to wait, breathing deeply as his thoughts drift, trying to ignore the pain from his injuries. As if to protest, his left arm throbs angrily, and he lets out a pained whine.

Minutes, then what seems to be hours pass. With nothing happening, a plan starts to form in the engineer's head as he lifts his gaze upwards, carefully studying the camera, before looking around his cell once more. Shakily standing up, Fitz makes his way towards the center of the room, before bending over the remnants of the broken light bulb. Dizziness assaults him and with a startled gasp, he finds himself face down on the floor, nose and face aching from the unexpected contact with the concrete floor, his injured arm having failed to stop his descent.

The light above him flickers, sparks sending chills down his spine at the reminder of what he just went through. Determination drives him past the remembered pain and he struggles once more to his knees. His left arm is so painful by now that he just lets it hang by his side, trying not to use it. Letting out a deep breath, he fumbles a bit with the shards of glass littering the floor in front of him. A thought pops in his mind about how lucky he was not to land in them when he fell. Carefully shaking his head to get rid of it, he focuses again on the broken fragments. Making his mind, he collects two of them, a big one, curved and sharp, and a smaller one, its edge glinting in the light, holding them in a soft grip with his right hand.

Pushing back up to his feet, he makes his way back towards the wall where he left the chair. Carefully dropping the largest shard under it, he examines the one left in his hand. It's about half an inch long, he muses, and as he looks up at the camera once more, the young engineer figures it should be sharp enough for what he needs to do.

 _Alright,_ he tells himself. _Let's do this. I don't know in what kind of primitive place Ward is keeping me but I should be able to mess around with this camera a bit. Let's just hope someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. is watching. I don't think Ward is monitoring it, or else he would have reacted to me disappearing from view earlier... or when I was playing around with the glass._

He carefully gets up on the chair, and as he straightens, it brings his face just under the camera. Still following his movements, it is now pointed down at him.

An hour or two away from their destination, Jemma Simmons is still typing furiously on her computer. Using Fury's intel, she has managed to create a map of the Labrador region they are heading towards, on which she has situated all the camera signals similar to the one they are receiving continuously. There's a surprising amount, she muses.

Stealing a look towards the monitor showing Fitz's current's location, she startles at the empty screen, where her friend was previously still being seen, laying on the ground. She frowns as she realizes that the chair is also nowhere to be seen.

As she gets closer to try and figure out where her partner went, the camera suddenly moves downwards and she lets out a shocked yelp as Leo's bloodied face fills the screen all at once.

Hand over her still rapidly beating heart, she lets out a relieved sigh at seeing her friend moving about. She sees his eyes darting as he studies the camera and its wiring. The microphone captures his muttering and she can't help but smile as she hears the Scottish tilt of his voice, gaze softening as she watches him work.

Focusing once more as his sentence ends on a "Come on, Jemma, you can do this. Find me!", her smile widens in delight and she rushes towards her computer.

On the monitor, Fitz is still working and now counting.

"1, 2, 3" he says, before repeating it again and again.

Standing on the chair, he keeps counting to three, partnering the number he utters with a pinch of his index finger and thumb, squeezing the thick cable he just sliced partly through with his shard of glass.

Having exposed the cable's shielding, his handling causes interference to flare and to Jemma's wide-eyed amazement and glee, one of the dots on her map starts to flicker, timed with his counting. Setting the computer to record the data she puts it down on the table in front of her, then stands up and rushes to find Coulson.

Once she meets with him she excitedly explains the situation and Fitz's location. Touching his earpiece, Coulson relays the updated information to May, situated in the cockpit.

"May, relay this to Director Fury, we have Fitz's location. 59.5736 degrees North, 63.9214 degrees West."

"Roger that." She answers him. Leaning to the side, she punches in the coordinates in the aircraft's Flight Computer, and a second dot appears on the display showing her destination in front of her. Studying the screen, she thumbs her earpiece to contact Coulson again.

"I have it on the map, it's a bit over 10 miles North-West of our current destination. I'll report this to Fury and see if we can have a strike team and an helicopter ready for when we get there."

"In less than two hours?" Jemma says, incredulously, having heard May's answer through her own earpiece that had just received from Coulson. "I thought you said this facility was abandoned..."

May's smile is audible through the comms as she says "Never doubt S.H.I.E.L.D.'s drive to save one of our owns, dear."

Flicking a switch on her communication panel, she speaks again. "HQ, this is S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6. Please come in."

Waiting a beat as she listens to the answered transmission, she says. " I have coordinates for the Big Boss, 59.5736 degrees North, 63.9214 degrees West. This is where we will find our missing agent." A moment of silence on her part, then she answers "Yes Sir, Agent Simmons just provided us with these, we can trust the info. I suggest Protocol Beta-2-Zulu for extraction. We have a dormant facility 11.5 miles South-East of the target, this should work just fine."

Another moment, then "Perfect. Thank you Sir. Our ETA is 80 minutes to base. I'll join with the team there and we can be on our way ASAP."

As the deep baritone of the Director sounds one last time in her ears, a predatory smile appears on her face. "Yes Sir, you can count on that. S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6 out."

Flipping the switch back to its previous position, she informs the rest of her team of the latest developments, before going back to monitoring the aircraft as it speeds towards Labrador.

The smile on Jemma's face from May's news drops as the door in Fitz's cell opens, the blond man standing in its frame and holding a platter in his hands, its contents unknown to them.

A bowl of oatmeal clatters to the ground, followed by the platter itself and a plastic spoon, as the man exclaims "What the f-!" He interrupts himself as it dawns on him what Fitz has been doing as he notices the cut cable, and, letting out another curse, he angrily strides towards the engineer, now out of sight of the camera.

Having let go of his small shard of glass, Fitz jumps off the chair, landing awkwardly as his bruised hip struggles to hold his weight.

As he straightens up, a hand grabs him by the throat and he is slammed into the wall behind him.

"You sneaky bastard!" Marvin spits in his face, furious. "I told Ward we should have left you tied up! I should have just went ahead and done it myself!"

"I have news for you, though, smarty pants. The cable you managed to cut through? That was the only thing connecting your little friends to you. So now, they have no idea what is happening to you. Which means the only thing keeping me from teaching you a lesson is Ward and, right now? He is not here." The last sentence is spelled out slowly, emphasis on every word as Marvin's face splits into a evil grin. He then shifts his grip so that his left arm is the one holding Fitz against the wall.

Unable to focus so low below it, the camera can only frame the top of the blond man's head and his back as he shifts his stance. His right arm is then seen rearing back, hand in a fist, before it is thrown forward in a punch.

Coulson's hands grip the back of Jemma's chair as a scream echoes from the strike, fingers digging grooves in the material.

"Keep quiet, you wimp." Marvin growls, before his right fist once again buries itself in Fitz's abdomen. The hand on his throat keeping him from doubling over, Leo's legs fold as pain engulfs him once more, breath stolen from him. Unwilling to hold his captive's weight, Ward's accomplice opens his hand, letting Fitz drop to the ground as he steps back with a sneer.

His right arm hovering between his abdomen and his left shoulder that is now screaming in pain after Marvin's strike, his weight has him leaning to the right, on the chair. Unable to keep the weight up, the metal chair scrapes to the side with a screech that echoes in Fitz's ear as he drops to the floor, curled up on his side and gasping as he is finally able to breathe in again.

He feels a small prick on his arm as he shifts on the floor and his closed eyes snap open in realization, before his gaze shift towards his approaching attacker.

Scrambling to get himself upright again, he pushes on his right elbow and clenches his throbbing abdominal muscles to straighten his torso, grunting in pain as his hand positions itself to the ground at his side, keeping him upright. Another prick on his palm, and he smiles internally, before his eyes widen as a hand reaches for him again.

Clenching his right hand over his newfound prized possession but careful not to break the thin but long shard of glass, he tries to ignore the pain and the blood he can feel pearling up in his palm, focusing on formulating a plan, but Marvin's grip on his jacket violently pulls him upwards. Barely able to get his legs under him, he can do nothing but follow as he is pulled forward. The blond man then shifts his weight from one leg to the other, and Fitz feels himself being violently pulled to the side, feet unable to follow. Thrown towards the center of the room, he barely has time to raise his right arm to protect his head before he lands in a heap, sliding a few feet towards the door from the force of the throw.

Marvin is on him in seconds, kicking him in the chest to get him on his back before going on his knees to straddle him, left hand finding its own mark on Fitz's throat.

His left arm screaming with pain, his breath hitching from the blossoming pain in his chest, Leo is unable to react before he feels the pressure cutting his airways off. Wheezing and soundlessly gasping from the lack of air, he struggles, then realizes that his right arm is free from the other man's hold. Gritting his teeth, his hand painfully clenching over his sole weapon, he croaks a defiant yell before throwing his arm upwards, towards his tormentor.

The shard buries itself partly in Marvin's side, causing him to yell in pain and to shift upright in a flinch.

"You bastard!" His pained yell turns into a furious screech and his left hand finds Fitz's throat again, squeezing even harder. The engineer's legs scrabble from under the weight of his tormentor, trying to find some grip to push him off and get himself free. His right hand grips at the arm pinning him down and he claws, hard, trying to remove the iron grip currently cutting off his air supply. His hand goes slack and falls to the side when Marvin punches him in the face with his right hand, hard enough to stun him. The left side of his face throbs in answer to the hits and his vision begins to darken. He can feel his heart beating, hard, from down in his belly all the way up to his face. The lack of oxygen makes his vision go blurry.

He can't focus. The pain that was once engulfing him is now being washed away by a wave of lethargy. His eyes slide to the right, then to the left. His unfocused gaze unsteadily makes his way upwards, to the blurred figure still leaning over him. He can feel blood pooling up in his mouth, unable to even choke on it, then it overflows his lips and drips down his chin in rivulets, mixing with the blood from a cut on his face from Marvin's punches. It flows down to his neck and over the fingers pinning him to the ground.

Increased pressure on his throat. A flash of razor-like clarity brings Marvin's face sharply back into focus before everything goes fuzzy once more. The last thing Fitz sees is the deranged smile on his face, before his eyes roll back in his head and he goes limp, unconscious and sinking in darkness.

* * *

"No, Fitz..." Jemma trails off, hands covering her mouth.

Agent Phil Coulson's hands leave the now dented chair to grip the biochemist's shoulders, trying to infuse strength and comfort after what they just witnessed. The contact breaks the spell of the young Agent's shock and a sob escapes her. The horror their friends just went through is unexplainable. She can't fathom how a man can inflict so much pain on another for almost no reason, simply based on words born from pain and fear?, she asks herself, as silent tears stream down her face.

She is unable to tear her gaze from her friend's prone figure, still straddled by the blond maniac.

The camera suddenly shifts upwards, towards the door, as a dark figure appears in the entrance. Agent Ward is running, yelling at his accomplice to "Let go! You idiot, let go of him! You're killing him!"

At the other man's failure to comply, Ward stops a foot or two in front of Marvin, still bowed over his victim.

Cursing, he twists on one foot, the other rising in an arch that connects violently with the blond man's chest. The impact forces him backwards and he lets go as he topples over to his side. Rolling from the hit, he ends up on one knee, his other foot and a hand planted on the ground, ready to get up to confront his attacker. He then realizes who just kicked him and freezes, unsure how to react.

Ward ignores him as he drops to his knees at Fitz's side, eyes roaming the unmoving figure and taking in the newly added injuries. He takes in the blood on the engineer's face, on his hand. The cuts and the black eyes already forming on the young man's face. And then the hand shaped bruise forming on his throat.

"What is wrong with you?! You crazy bastard you can't go around killing our hostage!" he yells at Marvin.

There's something tickling the back of Ward's mind, and he has a feeling it's urgent, but as he keeps studying Fitz, he can't tell what it is. And then he can.

Fitz isn't moving, at all. Startled into action at the realization that his former teammate is not breathing, he grabs the still man's face, one hand on his forehead and the other at his jaw.

Using his grip to tilt Leo's head upwards, Ward lets out a curse as blood pools out of the now opened mouth.

"Shit" he mutters. "He probably bit his tongue..." Looking around, he spies a couple of napkins that had fluttered to the ground after the platter, a bit to his left by the door. Stretching, he grabs them, before using them to try and remove as much blood as he can.

New blood pools up as soon as he is done absorbing the old one and he curses again.

"Damn it, what do I do, what do I do?!" Panicked eyes take in Leo's slack face and he sits up.

Shaking his head to get his mind back on track, Ward huffs a breath. "Alright, enough panicking, you know what to do!" Bending over, he leans his cheek over, frowning as he doesn't feel air on his skin. Dropping his right hand from the engineer's chin to his neck, he feels for a pulse, letting out a relieved breath as he can feel one.

"Ok, ok. I can do this." Wiping Fitz's face once more to remove as much blood as he can, he tilts the head back again, before leaning down and pinching Leo's nose. Inhaling through his own nose, he presses his mouth to the other man's and exhales slowly and deeply. Eyes darting to the right, he spies the young man's chest rising as his lungs inflate.

 _Good, no obstruction._ Ward thinks to himself, as he lets the air escape Fitz, before giving him another slow and full breath. Waiting a beat, he gives him another breath, then another.

"Come on, Fitz!" As he bends down for another breath, a cough surprises him, and he gets sprayed with blood droplets.

Blinking in surprise, Ward flinches back upright at the spray. Wiping his face with his arm, a relieved expression relaxes his face as Fitz finally starts breathing on his own again.

His relief is short-lived as the next breath is cut short and turns into a choke. Gurgling sounds turn into retching as Leo's torso and stomach convulse and Ward's eyes widen in realization. Grabbing the engineer's clothes at his right shoulder and hip, the Hydra agent quickly rolls him on his left side, supporting him as the young man groans, then continues vomiting, a mix of blood and bile pooling on the ground by his head.

Fitz's return to awareness is brutal. The gagging is murder on his bruised ribs, and the force of its expelling through his constricted throat tears a pained moan from him. The metallic taste of blood mixed with the foul one of bile is the worst taste he has ever experienced. But more importantly, the pain. Oh God, he didn't think he could hurt that badly. He starts shifting around, legs moving restlessly, as he can feel the already inflamed nerves in his left shoulder be stabbed by damaged bones.

He can't help it, the pain engulfs him and he screams, the sound ripping from him and mixing with his diminishing heaving.

As tears run down the side of his face from his tightly shut eyes, his right hand lands on the ground in front of him and he pushes, hard, trying to roll away from the pressure and the pain and get on his back again.

But Ward keeps him from doing that, telling him "No, Fitz! On your back you'll choke." As his struggles increase, screams breaking into moans, Ward snaps. "Cut it out!"

Leo's eyes crack open and he seeks the dark-haired man holding him down's gaze. Then amidst the broken gasps and moans, he croaks. "My arm, hurts." Then a series of _please_ , _hurts_ and _let go_ , escape him.

"Ah, shit." Ward exclaims, as he rolls the younger man on his back. Getting to his feet, he leans down and grabs him under both shoulders, causing Fitz to gasp in pain again.

"Hang on." Ward mutters, as he lifts the other man's torso off the ground before dragging him backwards. Twisting slightly, he leans him against the wall, a fair distance from the door, before straightening up again. Looking down at the shivering form, he bites his lower lip, before coming to a decision. He heads out of the room, then comes back a minute later, holding a wool blanket in his hands. He lays it on Leo, before standing back to study him again.

"Can you breathe ok?" He asks Fitz, receiving a shaky nod in answer. "Any nausea?" A subtle shake of the head. Awkwardly patting him on the head, Ward then focuses on his accomplice again.

As soon as his back is turned, rapid, shallow breathing sounds in his ears. Alerted, Ward turns his attention back to Fitz, eyes widening as he takes in the sudden pallor and clammy appearance of his skin.

"Shit!" Ward exclaims as Fitz's eyes roll back in his head and he slumps to his right side. He barely reaches him in time to prevent Leo's head from smacking into the ground. Fumbling a bit, he lays Fitz's head on the ground then positions his left leg so it's bent at the knee, preventing him from rolling on his stomach.

"Should have thought of shock before just grabbing him and sitting him against the wall..." Ward mutters, as he spreads the blanket over the still form in front of him, studying him a moment longer before turning his back on him again.

Taking note of the blood dripping on the floor, Ward looks back up at Marvin, now on both knees and leaning on one hand, the other gripping at his bleeding wound on his left side. With an eyebrow raised at the other man, he jabs "Are you going to pass out on me too?"

"Screw you." Marvin then grunts at the pain radiating from his stabbing wound. Ward scoffs, shaking his head, before making his way towards and crouching by the blond man's side.

"I'll say it again, you're an idiot. Move your hand, let me see."

"That bastard." Marvin grunts again at Ward's probing of his wound. "He used a shard from a light bulb - a god darn LIGHT BULB, to stab me with." He lets out a low groan. "I think he knew what he was doing, I felt him purposefully breaking it after stabbing me with it, that brat!"

"You should have seen it coming." At Marvin's affronted look, Ward continues "No, really. The kid's a genius. He might be a nerd but I know from experience that he is resourceful, and I warned you about it. Also, let's not forget the hurt you laid down on him. Oh, and you threatened his nerdy girlfriend."

Shaking his head, lips pursed, Ward adds "There is no hope left for you, you're on his payback list. And probably his team's too. Poor soul, how I pity you."

"What?" Marvin croaks. "But, you -, you're the one that -"

"Don't forget you're also the one who abducted him." Ward interrupts him, leaving the other man gaping, dumbfounded. Examining the wound one last time, he leans back on his heels, before patting his accomplice's shoulder. "Yup, the broken piece of glass is still in the wound. That sucks, man."

"Alright, come on, up you go. Let's remove this thing and patch you up." Standing back up, Ward holds his hand out, letting out a sigh at Marvin's still confused face. Eyes rolling, he bends down and grabs him by the arm opposite his injured side, before hauling him to his feet and supporting him.

"Come on, there's a first aid kit in the storage room, let's go."

Leaning on Ward as dizziness assaults him, Marvin grunts his agreement as they start heading out of the room.

As they reach the door, Ward suddenly stops, and his partner almost lurches to the ground from the forward momentum. Adjusting his grip, Ward shifts so that they are face to face, his back to the hallway.

"Let's not forget to close the door, alright? We don't want wonder boy to wander off, now do we?" Gesturing to his right with his head, Ward lets go of Marvin once the blond man is steady on his feet again.

Looking left towards their captive, hidden behind the door, his left arm tucking against his side to keep pressure on his wound, Marvin grunts in acknowledgment, but thinks to himself _I don't think this guy is going anywhere at the moment..._

Slowly twisting and reaching with his right arm for the door handle, he freezes, before blinking in confusion. A shiny manacle is now fastened against his wrist, the other hand of the chain closing with an audible click around the exterior handle of the door.

As he looks up at Ward, the dark-haired Hydra agent shrugs in answer to the obvious question in his eyes.

"What can I say... you've become a hindrance."

As his confusion gets more pronounced, Ward adds. "Oh I should also mention that my Intel told me there's a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team on its way. As you managed to get yourself injured, you're only going to slow me down in getting out of here before the cavalry arrives."

Patting the shackled hand condescendingly, Ward steps back, out of reach as resentful anger blossoms on his former partner's face and he quickly spins on himself, left arm lashing out. The movement pulls at his wound and he curls back on himself with a groan, staggering as dizziness makes itself known again.

"You really should get the glass out of that wound. Oh! And I strongly suggest you do whatever you can to keep little Leo in there alive, ok?" Mouth forming a silent O, index finger up in a " _One minute"_ gesture, Ward turns and heads down the hallway, turning left and disappearing around the corner. He can be heard moving stuff around, then silence. A moment later he reappears, holding a white box in his hands.

"There, don't say I never took care of you, big guy. By my calculations and the data I got, you only need to make sure you both stay alive for about an hour or so before company gets here so..." He holds the first aid kit out, waving it until Marvin grabs it with his left hand "use it wisely and try to survive, alright?"

"How do you even plan to get out of here anyway, Ward?" Marvin asks gruffly.

"Well, the plane we used to get here, of course!" At the blond man's frown, Warn adds "What? You thought you were the only one able to fly that thing? Just because I let you do all the flying on the way here doesn't mean I'm unable to do it."

"But, that's my father's plane... You can't just take it and leave me here!" He yanks on his right arm again, shutting the door in the process.

"Oh, but of course I can! Look, I'm leaving now." Ward taunts, as he backs away, waving goodbye at his former apprentice. "Have fun in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody!" Turning on his heel he makes his way down the corridor, before throwing over his shoulder "Oh! And if you think you can sell me out to them as revenge, well I've got bad news for you! All that you ever knew about me? Lies, all lies. Sorry buddy!" With one last wave over his shoulder, he turns the corner and disappears from sight.

"WARD! Come back here! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! WAAAARD!" Marvin's angry yells echo in the hallway as Ward walks into the supply room. Grabbing a bag he had already packed on his way, he glances around the room one last time, making sure nothing can be linked back to him and his future hiding location. Content, he grabs his heavy winter coat, shrugging it on and zipping it, then grabs his backpack again, and heads out the door of the supply room, down another hallway. There's a heavy door with a small glass window to see outside, so after putting his sunglasses on, he peeks outside, making sure the coast is clear, before shoving the door open.

Cold air and snow assault him and he staggers a bit as he steps outside. He then grabs a hat from one of his parka's pockets, putting it on, before making his way down the slight slope in front of him, careful not to slip on the snow covered rock.

He looks around, taking in the valley surrounding him, dug thousands of years ago by a glacier as it slid towards the open waters of the Labrador sea to his left, leaving an elongated and currently frozen over lake. He looks at it, head turning right, and the lake curves, disappearing from sight behind the slope of the mountainside.

"Nice place for a hidden outpost, Hydra." He muses. "A bit cold, but nice nonetheless." He shivers with those words, before heading towards the plane parked by the shore. Snow drifts around the red Cessna, golden stripes along its sides reflecting the sun, as wind comes from deep in the valley, gaining speed as it rolls over the high sides and down towards the lake.

Dropping his bag down on the snow covered lake by the plane's left ski, he digs into one of the smallest pockets, successfully extracting a keychain holding three keys.

He picks one, and uses it to unlock the left door of the aircraft. Opening the door, he throws his pack into the right-hand seat, before closing the door again. He then goes around the plane, untying and removing the wings and engine covers, rolling them and putting them in the cargo of the aircraft. He does the same with the tail, removing the cover protecting the horizontal stabilizer and the puck-like device locking the rudder in place.

Once all of this is safely tucked in the cargo, he does a second walk-around, inspecting the plane and checking the oil level of the engine, removing the ropes tying the engine down to the ground. He unhooks the other ends of the ropes from the hooks buried in the ice, leaving the hooks behind. He shuts the cargo door after dropping the rolled coils of rope, and locks it before heading to the cabin again, grabbing a stick from the back of one seat.

He then fumbles a bit around, trying not to slip as he climbs up the aircraft, using the steps on the left wing strut and engine cowling to make his way to the top of the cabin. Using his stick, he measures the amount of fuel in both reservoirs, confirming he has plenty enough for his getaway, as he calculates it rapidly in his head.

Dropping down, he tries not to get entangled with the cables connecting the forward part of the ski to the aircraft, stumbling around a bit and swearing as he slips on the snow covered ice.

"Always hated those winter operations things..." He mutters, as he makes his way inside the cabin again to finish his pre-flight checks.

Once satisfied with the plane's state, he fumbles around a bit, flicking switches and manually pumping fuel in the engine, before twisting the key to start the engine. The plane jerks as the three-bladed propeller twitches before turning. Injecting fuel again, the engine shudders before roaring into life, the propeller kicking up a cloud of snow behind the aircraft.

Letting the engine warm up a bit, he then pushes the throttle a bit forward until the aircraft starts moving, using the pedals to steer it towards the end of the lake ahead of him then in a 180 degrees turn, facing the full length of the frozen lake and, at the end, the threateningly rising slopes of the not-quite mountains.

 _Still high enough to be a danger, though,_ Ward muses, as he slams the throttle fully forward, the engine roaring at full power. The plane gathers speed and, about halfway down the lake Ward pulls back on the yoke, before he feels the aircraft leave the ground, the previously bumpy ride smoothing down as the small Cessna takes flight.

"Woop!" Ward exclaims, laughing, as wind lifts the aircraft higher in a sudden climb and he can feel his stomach flutter at the sudden low gravity feeling.

Keeping to a low altitude above the snow-capped hills and mountains around him, mindful of the air currents created by the terrain below, he heads South for a while.

"Looks like I'll have to find another way to get back in Hydra's high command's graces..." Ward muses as he gains altitude, heading South-East towards the small Newfoundland Nain airport, settling into a cruise speed.

* * *

Stunned at the turn of events and unsure how to react, Jemma startles as Coulson seems to explode into action behind her. He pulls a chair back and sits in front of one of the screens that were previously looking for Fitz, fingers already skimming the keyboard in front of him. Worry for her friend takes the copilot seat as she observes the senior agent as he logs in a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. server and then digs into the database, amazed at the speed with which he works through the data.

"There is no way I am letting Ward get away with this." he says as his only explanation for Jemma's questioning gaze he feels on his back.

He pulls up personnel files and Hydra intel S.H.I.E.L.D. has gathered over the years. Flicking through them he suddenly stops, and the young woman at his side stares in shock at the picture displayed on the monitor.

A young, blond man stares at her, face serious and proud. His name, Marvin Kelley, is written beside the picture and a short summary of his exploits as a Hydra agent are listed below. She feels anger bubbling up inside her in recognition of the man that inflicted so much pain on her friend, then her focus snaps back to Coulson as he speaks.

"There, relatives. We should find what we need here." He clicks on the tab, and pictures underlined with names appear on a new page.

"Agent Coulson, what are you looking for?" The biochemist asks him.

"Ward's accomplice said that they had used his father's plane to get to where they currently are." Coulson explains, as he memorizes the name of the father listed in the former Hydra agent's file.

"If I take this name and enter it in the civil aircraft registries, starting with North America, I should be able to get a description of the plane we will be looking for. We might even be able to track it down and find its destination." Coulson says, stopping a moment to share a meaningful glance with his young agent. Brow furrowed, lips pinched, Jemma nods in agreement, and Coulson offers her a small smile in answer, before turning back to his research.

"There it is. His father, Randy Kelley, is the registered owner of the aircraft. We are looking for a Cessna 185. It's a Canadian aircraft, marked CF-HYD..." Coulson trails off, before sharing a look with Jemma as she scoffs and says "Seriously, CF- **HYD**? How did we get so much trouble from these guys anyway? It's so obvious... I can't even..." she throws her hands up in frustration.

Lacking any kind of response to that, Coulson simply shrugs before turning back to his research.

"All right, so we're looking for a red Cessna 185, with gold stripes on the sides." He shows her a picture of the aircraft as he continues. "It was last recorded on a flight to the Northern part of Labrador under a Canadian flight plan, with no estimated return date... I'll send this data on a secure channel to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, directly to Director Fury. Hopefully even with Ward's mole we'll be able to track him down and capture him before he knows we're coming for him."

A couple more clicks of the mouse and keys and the data is sent. He then turns towards the young biochemist, before going still. The plane is beginning its descent, he realizes.

Standing up, Coulson gives Jemma a meaningful look, before telling her "Come on, let's go find Agent Fitz." and they make their way towards the cockpit.


End file.
